Perry Plumbing's Blog

7 of the Most Drastic Ways to Save Water

Tips for Vigilant Water Usage and Plumbing San Diego Families Can Use

Just when we think the water restrictions cannot get any worse, the San Diego Metropolitan Water District this month voted to cut regional deliveries by 15%. This move to protect dwindling water stores will help cities reach Governor Jerry Brown’s order to reduce urban water usage by 25%. Cities that need more water will pay up to four times more for extra deliveries.

Rest assured: these higher water prices will be passed on to the consumer. Finding and instituting robust water conservation tips now can help your budget later.

While most of us gave up cleaning the driveway or car with the hose long ago, finding the creative water conservation measures proves more challenging. Here, we have complied some more aggressive, even drastic ways to save water.

1) Reuse Cooking Water

Instead of just pouring that pasta water down the drain, keep a 5 gallon bucket in a kitchen cabinet. Let the water cool and pour it into this bucket. Use it for the first rinse of the dishes or watering those fruit trees in your backyard. Next time you steam or boil pasta, eggs, vegetables, try to curtail your habit of pouring the water into the drain. This said, its best use is on landscaping and gardens. Saving it to boil other foods or for first dish rinse could be hazardous.

2) Grow your Grass High

Many San Diegans have completely removed their grass, but another option exists. Allowing the grass to grow long creates shade at the roots, causing more of the water you spray to spread consistently throughout your grass. This method reduces evaporation and allows the water to be fully absorbed by your grassy lawns. Goodbye carefully trimmed green patches . . . the shaggy lawn could become as popular as the rock and cactus xeriscaping!

3) Put pebble-filled water bottle(s) into your toilet tank.

With a few pebble- and water-filled plastic water bottles or one 2 liter plastic bottle in the toilet tank, the water level rises high enough to turn off the water flow and amount stored in the tank. You will need the pebbles so that the bottles sink sufficiently.

With the bottles in there, your flushes will use one-third less than the typical 1.8 gallons per flush most toilets use today. The benefit of using several, drinking water bottles is that you can start with three or four, but if that is not enough water to flush sufficiently, you can take out one or two to bring the water level higher. Balance conservation efforts with efficiency.

4) Reduce, Reuse, and REWEAR

The days of washing a piece of clothing after each wear are over . . . or should be. Older washing machines use 40 to 45 gallons of water for each load. Newer high-efficiency (HE) use 15 to 30 gallons. Consider hanging clothing back up in the closet or spot washing minor stains.

5) Try Dry Shampoo

The clean sand some American Indian tribes combed through their hair to remove dirt and oil has come a long way. In the last five years scores of brands of dry shampoos have emerged. Even Kim Khardashian has one! of Americans now opt for a sponge bath and a dry shampoo rather than the full on shower that uses an average of 17.2 gallons of water in 10 minutes. Just sprinkle in the dry shampoo and brush it out. Could the daily shower be on the way out in San Diego?

6) Smart Bottled Water Usage

According to the USGS Water Science School, water makes up 90% of the human body, and consumption of large amounts daily is critical to health. We should consume about three liters of water per day. To save money on your water bill, consider filling up water bottles at public places like schools and water fountains at parks or your work.

7) Install Rain Collectors

Some of our clients brush off the idea of collecting rainwater because San Diego does not get enough rain to warrant the expense of creating the system. Believe it or not, just one inch of rain translates into 600 gallons of water. Just 10 inches of rainfall wins a collector 6,000 gallons of water. Imagine how long that will last!

Considering that one’s roof is the largest and most effective water collection system, directing the gutters and downspouts so the rain lands one or more rain barrels works most effectively. We have seen all kinds of rain collection systems at our clients’ homes and we are impressed with their ingenuity! The Internet and a home supply store has all the barrels, gutters and spigots as well as free plans for anyone to get a rain collection system created in a weekend.

The Water Wise Plumbing San Diego Families and Businesses Trust

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American uses 100 gallons of water just at home each day. With our reservoir levels at just 5% now, we all need to cut our water usage so that firefighters, farmers and more get the critical supply they need. Weve been installing all kinds of low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets. With global warming heating up our city, we expect these services to be in high demand.

San Diego plumbing service Perry Plumbing guarantees 24/7 availability, personal service and up front pricing. With 35 years experience in America’s Finest City, we find and fix issues fast. Call us at 619-472-2112 to discuss your plumbing repair options or to schedule an appointment. Our fixture replacement and repair couponshelp you save!

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